One Last Time
by Tallulah876
Summary: Starts out with Cloud leaving the Seventh Heaven, and continues two months later at the beginning of Advent Children. Based on trailers and the 25 minute preview. Cloti. WARNING: CONTAINS ADVENT CHILDREN SPOILERS
1. Chapter 1

Gripping the handlebars of Fenrir, his motorcycle, tightly, Cloud manuvered through the late evening crowd of Midgar citizens returning home. The city of Midgar was reconstructed quickly after the meteor crisis; they had to build a place for the trampled on, eternally wounded people of the planet to live in. But there was no plate above their heads. In the new, post-Shinra version of Midgar, the sun shone brightly on it's suffering citizens. The slums were not as polluted, not as poor, but the citizens of Midgar still suffered.

But it was home. Midgar was home to those most hurt by their fates. It was only fitting that Cloud, too, called Midgar home. But Midgar itself wasn't the reason he returned time after time. Something else always drew him back, no matter how many times he told himself that this time would be the last. Cloud sighed as he turned a corner in Sector Four. He was almost there. Almost home. _Just this one last time..._ he told himself.

He passed a narrow alleyway. He tried not to focus on the small, hopeless faces that followed him as he drove by. Conditions had worsened in the two weeks he had been away. Midgar's orphan population was always increasing. And this disease...it didn't appear to be contagious. But it had no cure. Everyone who had it ended up dead, some time or another. You could be in contact with someone infected and not fall ill...but more and more were getting it. They called it Geostigma. No one could tell you exactly what it was, but it was surrounding them, stealing away any chances of hope. The disease seemed to favor children; they were the group most affected. But there were other cases of Geostigma. Cloud gripped his left arm and grimaced.

Some of the more kind-hearted in Midgar took it upon themselves to take care of sick orphans. His home was often a refuge for them. None of them ever stayed, but they flocked there for a hot meal, a kind word, a gentle touch. Cloud smiled ironically. He was a lot like those orphans. Always hungering for that sweet smile. Always taking, taking, never able to give back anything but pain. His smile faded. _Not anymore..._he thought painfully. _I won't hurt them anymore. I won't hurt her anymore..._

He pulled out of Sector Four just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. By the time Fenrir sputtered to a stop in front of the Seventh Heaven, it was past nine. It was a Sunday, the bar was closed. Slowly he parked the motorcycle, taking great care to make sure it was safe from being stolen. He hesitated in front of the door for a moment. This was the last time he'd ever enter. Cloud gave himself a mental shove. This time he would do it. This time he'd be strong enough to let go of everything he loved.

Cloud stuck his key in the door and pushed it open. The bar was empty. Every chair was put up in its proper place, every glass sparkling clean. He smiled. She would never be accused of being a slob. He strided past the tables, past the barstools, and opened the door that led to the backrooms and the living quarters.

He was greeted with two guilty shrieks. Cloud couldn't help but smile as he took in the scene before him. Two little faces looked up, one belonging to Marlene the other to her friend Denzel. Both of them were in pajamas and had one hand inserted in the cookie jar, one hand holding a half eaten cookie. Their faces rapidly changed from fear, to guilt, to absolute ecstacy. Dropping the cookies, they pounced.

"Cloud! Cloud!" they shouted. "You're back! I'm so glad!"

He laughed gently and pried them off. They smiled up adoringly. Cloud was glad they were here to keep Tifa company. They were a handful sometimes but they sure could brighten up anyone's day. Marlene had warmed to Cloud immediately after she started living with them. Barret was away in Corel looking for energy sources, and so little Marlene went to the only home she had ever known- the Seventh Heaven. Denzel on the other hand...Cloud had found Denzel. He was seven years old- one year older than Marlene, and sick from Geostigma. Cloud brought him to Tifa when he found Denzel lying in a gutter, unconscious and in obvious pain. The orphan forged a friendship with Marlene, a hero-worship for Cloud, and of course, he loved Tifa. And so he stayed.

Denzel tugged at Cloud's sleeve. "You're not gunna tell Tifa are you?" he asked, wiping cookie crumbs from his face.

He fixed Cloud with his best innocent look. Marlene immediately got in on the game and wrapped her sticky, chocolate covered hands around Cloud's waist.

"Please don't tell Tifa we ate the cookies!" she begged.

Cloud laughed, swooped Marlene up and ruffled Denzels hair. They gave each other knowing smiles.

"You know the deal." Cloud told them.

He dropped Marlene down. Solemnly, she handed Cloud a big, chocolate chip cookie. Denzel did the same.

"Here Cloud." Denzel said. "We saved the biggest ones for you, just like you told us to."

Giving them conspirational winks, Cloud took the cookies and ate them. Marlene and Denzel giggled and went about putting the cookie jar back in its proper place and hiding all other evidence. Once they were done, they flocked back around Cloud bombarding him with questions.

"Will you be back for long?" Marlene asked, grabbing onto him like a leech.

Denzel tugged at Cloud's shirt. "Are you going to take me on a ride? Just like you promised? Please? Please?"

"I don't know how long I'll be back..." Cloud answered Marlene with a forced smile. "And I don't know if Tifa wants you riding the motorcycle with me."

The kids gave Cloud exaggerated pouts.

"By the way...where is Tifa?" Cloud asked, trying to ignore their sulking.

Marlene was already stationed on the floor, intently working on a crayon drawing. Denzel aimlessly kicked a few crayons before plopping down next to her.

"She was taking a shower." Marlene said from overtop her picture. "I think she's been out for awhile."

Cloud started heading upstairs but turned back to give the kids one last look.

"Don't get into any more trouble!" he warned them with a half-stern, half-lighthearted tone.

"We won't!" they chanted back.

Cloud sighed and continued up the staircase. It had been two weeks since he'd last been home. What a luxury to have a place to call home...Cloud had a small business now. Strife Delivery Service. It wasn't much of a job, but it brought in money. And even though he was on the road most of the time, Tifa wanted him to have a place to come home to. And so, when he wasn't out working, he stayed with them. He had his own room that served as a bedroom and an office. And he had Tifa. _But not for much longer._ he told himself, gripping his left arm as a sudden pain shot through it. _Home is not a luxury I can have...not if it means more pain for her._

He was pulled from his thoughts as a door swung open. Tifa stood at the end of the hall, staring, not quite absorbing what was standing in front of her yet. Her face was lovely as ever, her chocolate eyes were wide open and startled. Cloud smiled as she stood like a deer caught in the headlights. She had kept her dark hair waistlength ever since the end of their final fight. A strand of it fell across her face.

"Hello Tifa." he said softly.

His greeting shook her out of her stupor, and she rushed forward, flinging her arms around his neck. Cloud stumbled back for a second, but then slowly wrapped his arms around her back. He closed his eyes and drank it all in for a moment: the feeling of her warm body up against his, the scent of her just-washed hair, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her head pressed firmly against his chest. Slowly, reluctantly, Tifa slid her arms down and took a small step back. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"You're back." she said happily, softly.

"I'm back." he echoed.

Tifa face became concerned. "How was the job? Did everything go smoothly? Are you okay? You were gone so long! I was so worried!"

Cloud laughed quietly and tucked the rebellious strand of raven hair behind her ear.

"I'm fine Tifa. Everything's fine. I just got loaded down with a few other jobs while I was out. I'm sorry for making you worry."

Tifa smiled, and it almost made the lie worth it.

"Go get cleaned up!" she urged him. "You must be hungry, I'll go make something for you."

She descended the stairs, and Cloud watched her until she turned the corner. _Just this last time..._he told himself again. _This is the last time...I'm leaving after tonight. I am. _But everytime he came back, it got harder and harder to leave.

Cloud sighed and opened the door into his room/office. Everything was exactly like it was before he left. Except for the bed which was made up neatly with clean covers. _Tifa..._he thought achingly. He dumped his bag on the floor and slumped into the chair by his desk, covering his face with his hands. Sighing he looked up and immediately his gaze closed in on a framed photograph sitting next to his phone. He picked it up and smiled fondly. In the photograph, Tifa bent over the two smiling faces of Marlene and Denzel while he stood behind them all, smiling sheepishly.

But a sharp, breath-taking pain in his arm stole his attention away from the happy photograph. Gritting his teeth, Cloud applied pressure to the ache, willing it to go away.

"Just a little longer." he hissed through his teeth. "Then you can kill me. Just give me this last time."

Slowly the pain faded and he stood up panting. He changed out of his traveling clothes and put on something comfortable and clean. He left the room and went back downstairs, following the scent of something delicious cooking in the kitchen. He stood outside the kitchen doorway observing the happy scene inside. Tifa was chopping something and placing it on a sandwich as the two kids simultaniously tried to explain what was occuring in the pictures they were drawing. Cloud's muffled laugh gave him away. All three of them turned towards the doorway, grins alight on their faces.

"Cloud!" Marlene and Denzel shouted and rushed forward.

"Look Cloud!" Marlene said, barely containing her excitement. "That's a flower and thats me! Watering the flower!"

Denzel squeezed past Marlene. "See Cloud? That's you on your motorcycle. And that's me on the back! Pretty cool huh?"

Tifa laughed as he was bombarded. "Give him some room to breath you two! Come sit down."

Denzel sat down at the table and Marlene led Cloud over by the hand. Tifa gave Cloud his warm meal, which he looked at longingly before digging in. They all sat at the table in silence for minute until Marlene and Denzel piped up again.

"When are you gunna tell us about where you went?" Marlene asked eagerly.

Denzel leaned forward. "Didja see any monsters?"

"Did you see any of our friends?" Tifa asked, her eyes twinkling.

And so they sat and listened to Cloud's retelling of the past two weeks. It was their tradition to do so whenever Cloud returned from a job. Denzel's eyes widened appreciatively as Cloud told of a narrow escape from the Midgar serpent. Marlene leaned in eagerly as Cloud handed her a perfect seashell from the coast. And Tifa laughed outloud when he told her that someone had recognized him from the Wall Market.

"What's so funny?" Marlene asked curiously.

Denzel looked back and forth from Tifa to Cloud with a half-smile on his face, wanting in on the joke.

"Nothing!" Cloud said quickly.

Tifa quickly smothered her laughter, but shot Cloud a bemused smile when the kids weren't looking.

"It's getting late..." Tifa said, looking at the clock and covering up a yawn.

The pleadings started up immediately.

"No Tifa no!" Marlene begged. "Not yet!"

Denzel tugged at her hand. "We're not even tired!"

Tifa gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay, okay! I guess we can have dessert before we go up for bed. Now where's that cookie jar?"

Cloud exchanged a slightly panicked, secret look with Denzel and Marlene.

"Actually..." Denzel said backing towards the stairs.

"We're pretty sleepy!" Marlene said. "I think I need to go to bed right away!"

Cloud scratched the back of his head and gave a hasty yawn. "Yea, me too!"

"Goodnight Tifa!" they all shouted, as they raced up the stairs.

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Cloud tossed and turned in his bed, trying to stop the ache in his left arm. Groaning, he checked the clock. It was 2 in the morning. Giving up, he rolled out of his sweat-soaked sheets and pulled on a t-shirt and sweats. He ran a hand through his rumpled, spikey hair. It was getting worse. He knew that this would be his last night home.

Feeling like he was ripping a part of himself out, Cloud left his room and descended the stairs. He'd leave tomorrow night. Sighing, he walked into the kitchen and began filling himself up a glass of water. From behind him, he heard a soft creaking on the floorboards coming from the livingroom.

"Cloud? Is that you?" a sweet, slightly aprehensive voice asked.

Tifa peeked into the room, her hair slightly mussed from sleep and clad in a white thin-strapped night-gown.

"What are you doing up?" Cloud asked, curious and concerned.

She gave a tiny smile and shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Yea...me neither." Cloud said and downed the rest of his water.

Tifa gave him a searching look and came close so she could peer at his face.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, brushing her soft and delightfully cool hands against his hot forehead. "You don't look so good..."

He gently grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from his forehead.

"I'm fine, really." he lied convincingly. "You don't have to worry about me Tifa."

She lowered her gaze and bit her lip. "I can't help it..." she said softly.

They stood silently for a minute.

"Are you going back up to bed?" Cloud asked quietly.

Tifa shook her head. "I was going to sit up in the livingroom for awhile before going back up. I'll never get to sleep if I just toss and turn in back."

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Cloud asked, somehow still feeling like an outcast asking to join in on a game.

Tifa smiled warmly. "Of course not."

They both went into the living room and stretched out on opposite ends of the couch, their legs meeting in the center. Cloud felt a clenching in his throat. _Go on..._he urged himself. _Tell her that this is the last time. Tell her that after tonight she shouldn't worry herself about you ever again. _But the words stuck in his throat.

"How has Denzel been?" he said instead.

Tifa lowered her gaze slightly. "He had one bad episode last week, but he hasn't had one since." She lifted her eyes back up and smiled at him. "He's been doing really well. Such a trooper..."

Cloud found it horribly painful to return her smile.

"And...a-nd how have you been?" he asked, forcing his tone to be casual.

Something passed over her face but she quickly masked it with a smile. "I've been good...just busy, you know."

He gave her a look, but she was fiddling with the bottom of her night-gown, not meeting his gaze. Gently, he leaned forward and tilted her chin up with his hand so he could see her face. Her eyes were sad.

"How have you been Tifa?" he asked gently.

She bit her lip and lowered her gaze again.

"I've been fine, really...I just..." her eyes met his again. "I miss you when your gone."

_You'll never know how much pain those words cause me..._he thought with a gulp as he took in her beautiful face with its sad, lonely eyes. Feeling as though he were being torn apart inside, he opened his arms up. Tifa scooted closer and pressed her face into his neck as he held her, and stroked her hair. _Just tell her..._he told himself. _Say Tifa, I have Geostigma. Tifa, I'm going to die. _

But just as he was bracing himself to form the words, a memory popped into his head. At first he wasn't sure how he had obtained this memory. But then it slowly came to him. It was from when he had mako-poisoning. He was in a wheelchair, barely coherent, but he could feel a pressure on his legs. A dark head was resting on his legs, and he could feel the moisture of its tear drops soaking through his pants.

_"What if you never recover, Cloud?"_ Memory-Tifa was asking him.

Her face was soaked with tears and in her beautiful, watery eyes there was a deep, heart-wrenching fear. And Cloud knew that just the thought terrified her beyond anything.

Sighing, Cloud knew that he couldn't ever give Tifa that kind of hurt ever again. She suffered enough because of him. But he knew that he would have to hurt her. No matter what decision he made it would hurt her. He gave an involuntary shudder.

Tifa pulled away, concerned.

"Cloud what's wrong?" she asked, gently touching his face. "Something is wrong, I can tell."

Cloud closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. For a brief moment, he put his own calloused hand over Tifa's where it rested on his cheek. He pulled it away, pressed a kiss in the palm and returned it to Tifa. Slowly, and painfully, he stood up. Tifa's face was bewildered and frightened. She always knew when something wasn't right with him. And she knew he was about to say something awful.

"Tifa..." he said hoarsly. "Tifa, I'm leaving."

He forced himself not to look away as her face fell. He forced himself to watch as her bottom lip quivered and her eyes looked back and forth as if searching for an explaination.

"On a job?" she whispered, trying to justify his statement.

Cloud shook his head painfully. "No Tifa. Not on a job...I'm leaving...for good. I won't be coming back."

Trying not to feel anything, trying to be numb, Cloud rushed up the stairs and gathered his stuff, knowing that if he waited a single moment longer, if he saw one single tear spill down Tifa's cheek, that he'd be unable to leave.

When Cloud came back down into the livingroom, Tifa hadn't moved. He heard the pattering footsteps behind him, and he forced himself not to turn and look back at the two little faces who had obviously been listening in on the conversation. He walked up to Tifa.

"Thank you for everything Tifa." he said, his throat sticking painfully.

At the sound of his voice, Tifa's eyes jumped to his. Her face was frightened, unbelieving, and terribly, terribly hurt. Cloud reached out to her.

"Tifa...I'm sorry."

But she pulled away from his touch, looking injured and afraid. Feeling daggers through his heart. Cloud lowered his gaze. He heard Marlene and Denzel sniffling from behind him. _This is for the best..._he told himself. _She's a survivor...she'll be hurt for awhile...but then she'll get angry. She'll be fine if she's angry. She won't miss me if she hates me. _

Slowly, Cloud opened the front door. He paused for a second in the doorway, hesistating, knowing that he could still turn around. But he let the door swing shut behind him. As he drove off on his motorcycle, heading to the sanctuary of their dear, deceased friend Aeris's church he didn't turn around. He didn't see Marlene and Denzel press their faces to the window. He didn't see Tifa sink to the floor.

"Everyone is better off because of this." Cloud told himself. "No one needs to suffer anymore because I'm going to die."

But as he got farther and farther away from his home, he couldn't forget about the hurt in Tifa's eyes, and the way she had pressed close to him the second he opened his arms. He couldn't forget the way she told him, "I miss you when your gone." Cloud grimaced as pain shot through his arm.

"Forget about me Tifa." he said through clenched teeth. "There's no hope for me...Please just forget about me."

He wished he could give himself the same luxury. He wished he could forget about Tifa's smile when she realized he was home. He wished he could forget about her hurt when she found out he was leaving. But he forced himself to replay the events in his head over and over. Desperate not to forget his only reason to hold on.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two months later..._

The Seventh Heaven bar was closed again. Tifa used to have pride in the fact that her bar was open far more than all the others, but as time passed, it got harder and harder to have the bar open during the day. Evenings were the most she could do now. She sighed and cleaned another glass. Tifa looked somewhat thinner and sadder these days...but then again, so did everyone else.

A shrill ringing interrupted her concentration on the glass she was cleaning. She looked up from it for a moment but then sighed loudly and returned to cleaning. _When will they learn to just call his cell? _she wondered, shaking her head slightly. The ringing didn't stop.

"He's not here anymore..." she mumbled, feeling annoyed that the phone continued to remind her of the fact.

When the phone didn't stop, she sighed yet again and wiped her hands dry on a towel. Slowly she ascended the stairs. She walked towards the room Cloud used to use, but stopped a minute and took a few steps back to check in the room to the left of it. Denzel was in the bed and Marlene hovered worriedly around him. Tifa felt a painful lurch in her stomach as she viewed the two of them. The Geostigma was getting worse. Everyone was beginning to lose hope.

"Cloud?" Denzel muttered, his voice sounding feverish and confused. "Where is Cloud?"

Marlene looked up to see Tifa in the doorway and they exchanged a worried and painful glance. They looked away from each other quickly as the phone gave another shrill ring. Tifa walked away quickly and turned into Cloud's old room. She hesitated slightly in the doorway, but then confidently strided over and picked up the phone, being careful not to look at the photograph sitting on the desk.

"Hello?" she asked, fighting to keep the annoyance and sadness out of her voice.

"Yea, hi. Took you long enough."

Even with all the static, Tifa had no trouble recognizing the voice.

"Reno?" she said, now not even trying to sound like she wasn't annoyed. "How many times have I told you to call his cell?"

Reno laughed. "And how many times have I told you, I'm sick of getting his stupid voice mail. And I'm even sicker of him not calling back."

Tifa sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" she asked wearily.

"I thought _you_ could call him for me." he said somewhat slyly. "If you called him maybe he'd finally listen."

Tifa gave a half-hearted snort. "I doubt it'd really make a difference."

Reno made a frusterated noise into the phone. For a few moments, there was silence on both ends of the phone line. When Reno started talking again his voice wasn't as cocky and care-free as it normally was when he called, for once he was pleading.

"Please, Tifa." he said quietly. "We've tried everything else. Just call and leave a message, that's all I'm asking."

Tifa sighed. _Why'd he have to ask nicely? _she wondered helplessly.

"Ok Reno...What do you need me to ask him?"

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Cloud stood beside his motorcycle outside the ruins of the old Midgar. For two months Aeris's church had been his home. At first, it was painfully hard. Memories haunted him day and night, of Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel, of much happier times. But slowly those memories faded, and new ones replaced them. Memories of bullets entering the body of his best friend as he was left to live. Memories of children weak and in pain from Geostigma.Memories of two green eyes and a smile as a sword cut through a pink midriff. Memories of a hurt face and two children crying as he walked out a door. In other words, memories of his failures. Memories of things he couldn't change.That's why he stayed in the church. So that he could never forget what he shouldn't be allowed to forget. So whenever he wasn't traveling, he slept in the church. And he remembered Aeris and all the other faces of people who he had failed.

A flash of pain interrupted his guilt-ridden thoughts. With a grimace, he gripped his throbbing arm, fighting to hold on to consciousness. The pain had worsened in the past two months. The episodes lasted longer and hurt more, and even when he wasn't having one, the ache never stopped. Breathing heavily he leaned against his motorcycle.Through his pain, he heard his cell ringing. Cloud turned his head towards the cell and began to reach out to it, but stopped pain shot through his arm again.

"I'll let the voice mail get it..." he panted, letting his arm drop to his side.

After several more rings, the phone was silent, and slowly, the pain in his arm subsided too. Gingerly, he reached towards the phone and activated his voicemail.

"One new message." the phone said into his ear.

"Better not be Reno again..." Cloud muttered.

The message started up.

"Hi Cloud." Tifa's voice said softly into the phone. "Umm...Reno keeps calling you. I mean...he keeps calling the phone in your room. Your uhh, old room. He needs you to go to Healin Lodge...he said it was important."

There was a brief silence.

"I hope you're doing alright." Tifa's voice said quickly right before the call cut off.

Cloud held the phone to his ear a minute before lowering it slowly. Feeling weary beyond his age, he threw one leg over the side of his motorcycle and headed towards the Healin Lodge. He tried to concentrate on the road, but the lingering pain in his arm, and the unexpected shock of hearing Tifa's voice made his insides squirm unpleasently. He forced himself to forget about it, as the sound of two other motorcycles caught his attention.

Two people were gaining on him, from both sides. Cloud narrowed his eyes slightly as the figures ontop the motorcycles came into view. They were dressed in black leather, but that wasn't what disturbed him. It was their hair...their _silver _hair. Their resemblance to Sephiroth.

Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts, Cloud leaned forwards and sped up. The two men did likewise, pulling up beside him.

"Where's mother?" the one to his left asked him.

At these words Clouds head twisted around. The man was bulky and his silver hair was short. He grinned at Cloud.

The other slimmer, longer haired man pulled Cloud's attention away from his companion. "You've hidden her from us, haven't you brother?"

_Brother? _Cloud thought, bewildered.

But he had no time to wonder their meaning, because the long haired man pulled out a gun and proceeded to aim it at him. Cloud evaded the attack, and this time when he sped out into the distance, the two men did not follow him.

_What was that all about? _Cloud wondered, as the word mother hung ominously in his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Marlene looked over Denzel as he slept fitfully. This episode had lasted far longer than the others. She wanted him to feel better so they could play again, just like they used to. It had been ages and ages ago since they had last gotten into mischief together. Marlene searched her six-year old memory trying to remember the last time.

_Oh yea..._Marlene thought, drawing her knees to her chest. _It was...that night._

Marlene had never been so confused in her life. She didn't know where things went wrong. Everything was fine before they went to bed. When Denzel woke her up to go spy on Tifa and Cloud (like they always did) everything was still okay. Marlene and Denzel were _experts_ at spying. They _never _got caught. Marlene had smiled triumphantly at Denzel when Cloud and Tifa started hugging.

"Ugh!" Denzel had whispered. "Why do they _always_ end up like this!"

Marlene had rolled her eyes knowingly. "It's because they're going to get married. And then Cloud will be here _all _the time!"

Sitting on the corner of the bed, Marlene blinked back tears. It wasn't fair! Everything was about to be perfect and then...Cloud left. And now _nothing_ was going the way it was supposed to. Marlene felt her chin quivering and two fat tears rolled down her cheek. She didn't look up when the bed sunk down slightly as Tifa sat next to her.

"What's a matter?" Tifa asked softly, stroking her back.

Wiping her eyes with her little fists, Marlene climbed into TIfa's lap.

"I want Denzel to get better." Marlene sniffed. "So he play again!"

Tifa continued to stroke her back. "I know Marlene...we all want Denzel to get better."

"And...and..." Marlene began tearfully. "I want to go see Cloud!"

Tifa stiffened slightly and didn't answer. Marlene buried her face in Tifa's shoulder, feeling guilty beacase she knew that it made Tifa sad whenever someone mentioned Cloud.

"Tifa? Marlene?" a sleepy voice at the other end of the bed asked.

Marlene jumped off Tifa's lap and peered into Denzels face, forgotten tears glistening on her own. Wiping away tears of her own, Tifa knelt on the other side of the bed.

"How are you feeling Denzel?" Tifa asked softly, pushing back his hair.

Denzel sat up slightly. "Okay, I guess. Why am I in bed?"

Marlene bit her lip and leaned forward a bit.

"You fainted again!" she said worriedly. "When we were trying to steal candy from the kitchen!"

"Oh..." Denzel said, shooting Tifa an apologetic look.

Tifa gave him a small smile. "It's okay Denzel."

Denzel returned the smile but it was interrupted by a splitting yawn.

"Are you sleepy still?" Marlene asked him.

Denzel nodded.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Tifa asked him softly. "I'm going to take Marlene out for a bit, but we'll be back before you wake up."

Marlene's face turned towards Tifa, surprised and hopeful, but Tifa was still looking at Denzel. Gently, Tifa smoothed his covers and stood up. She looked at Denzel worriedly for a moment, but then walked out of the room, Marlene close at her heels.

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Cloud glanced out a window. He was in a room with the Geostigma-ridden Rufus Shinra and the turk, Rude. The more Rufus spoke to him, the more indifferent he felt, and the more he wanted to get out.

"We've been investigating the after-math of the Sephiroth incident." Rufus was saying. "And do you know what we found?"

Cloud grutned disinterestedly. Rufus continued on as if he didn't notice.

"There's a group of men, dangerous men. Their leader's name is Kadaj."

"Kadaj?" Cloud said quietly, thinking of the two men who had followed him on motorcycles.

"That's right," Rufus said, sounding relieved that Cloud was finally showing some interest. "We have reason to believe they've retrieved Jenova's head. They're young and dangerous...I need a bodyguard. That's where you come in."

Cloud shook his head. "My job is to deliver things."

"You're the only one who can do this Cloud. I'm begging you." Rufus said, the white blanket that covered his face fluttering.

"No." Cloud said firmly opening the door.

"I know who you've been living with Cloud." Rufus said loudly, causing Cloud to pause in the doorway. "Wouldn't you like to see smiles on their faces again? Our ultimate goal is restoration of the world."

"I'm not what I once was." Cloud said stiffly. "I can't help you."

The door slammed behind him as he left the room.

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Marlene clung to Tifa's hand tightly as they walked through the ruins of what used to be Midgar.Her brown eyes were wide, but she didn't recognize the wreckage that used to be her home.

"Where are we going Tifa?" Marlene asked, her voice slightly hushed. "Are we going to see Cloud?"

Tifa hesitated. "I think so."

Tifa's eyes scanned the area. Sector Five was...that way. She pulled Marlene alongside her. Tifa beat herself up inside for not thinking of it before. But she realized that there was really only one place she could think that Cloud would go. Her heart drummed in her chest. What was she going to say anyways? Maybe this was all a mistake.

But they walked up to the church, which was amazingly still intact, and Marlene let go of her hand and shot ahead.

"Tifa!" Marlene shouted happily. "Look at all the flowers! Oh Tifa, they're so pretty!"

Tifa smiled. The church was filled with flowers. They obviously thrived on the sunshine that burst through the damaged roof. She reached down to touch a flower gently and her smile faded slightly. They had won their battle in the end, but sometimes Tifa wondered whether they lost more than they gained. They had lost Aeris, and now they were losing chidren. Tifa sighed. _What would Aeris say if she could see us now? _she wondered. _She was always so happy. Aeris would hate all the sorrow and hopelessness that everyone seems to be filled with nowadays..._

"Tifa, look!" Marlene's voice interrupted her thoughts. "This bag...isn't it Cloud's?"

Tifa walked over quickly to see what Marlene was holding. It was Cloud's bag.

Marlene looked up at Tifa. "Is this where Cloud lives?"

"It seems so..." Tifa said quietly, looking down.

Marlene scampered off towards something else.

"Tifa! Look at this!" she held up blackened bandages. "These are just like Denzels! Is Cloud sick too?"

Feeling her heart sinking, Tifa gently took the bandages from Marlenes hands. She dropped them quickly and turned away so Marlene couldn't see the pain in her face.

"So Cloud..." she said softly, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach. "You chose not to tell me anything."

"Tifa?" Marlene asked, tugging at her hand. "Did Cloud leave because he's sick?"

Tifa turned to look at Marlene's inquisitive face.

"He plans to fight alone." she told her softly.

Marlene tilted her head. "Fight?"

"No that's not it..." Tifa said as another pain slashed against her heart. "He's not going to fight at all..."

She turned away from Marlene and hid her face in her hands. Marlene started to tug on her hand again, but stopped, as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed throughout the church.


	4. Chapter 4

Tifa's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. She almost called out, but something stopped her. Coming to the church with Marlene now seemed like an incredibly stupid thing to do. Skin prickling all over, Tifa quickly pulled on her gloves. Perhaps she was overreacting, but she felt better with them on.

"Cloud?" Marlene said, turning her head towards the entrance.

"Marlene!" Tifa hissed. "Get over here now!"

But Marlene wasn't listening. Running with the quick clumsyness that small children posess, she ran straight towards the door ready to throw her arms around who she was sure was going to be Cloud. But Tifa saw the flash of black leather and the bulky muscles, and she knew before Marlene did that it most certainly wasn't Cloud.

"Marlene stop!" Tifa shouted, now running after her.

The little girl saw the silver haired man and tried to stop, but skidded slightly before falling backwards on her bottom. Too frightened to cry, she sat and looked up at the intimidating man who smirked down at her.

"It's okay Marlene." Tifa whispered in her ear as she gently lifted her to her feet. "Don't be afraid."

Marlene latched herself around Tifa's waist. Tifa placed her gloved hands firmly on her shoulders. She met the silver haired man's eyes without a single trace of fear evident in her features.

"Who are you?" she asked him, taking in his resemblance to Sephiroth with increasing uneasiness.

The man laughed. "Who am I? My name is Loz if that's what you're asking."

"What are you doing here, Loz?" Tifa asked succintly.

Loz ignored her question, and looked around her, apparently trying to find someone else.

"You..." he said giving her a leering look-over, "are not the one I'm looking for."

Tifa gave him an angry look. "And who is it you're looking for?"

Loz gave another hearty laugh. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that. It's none of your concern."

He took a step towards the two girls, but Tifa stepped back and pulled Marlene with her.

"It is my concern." she said scathingly.

This caused Loz to go off laughing once again. _This man is insane._ Tifa thought as Marlene squeezed her frightenedly. _He must be after Cloud...but why?_

Loz's laughter stopped abruptly and he focused once again on Marlene and Tifa.

"Hmm. I suppose you know the man that lives here?" he asked, feigning casualness.

"No one lives here." Tifa lied easily. "We only visit for the flowers."

Loz smirked at her. "You're lying."

Tifa gave him a blank stare.

"Well if you don't know him, I suppose neither of you are any use to me." he smiled at them lazily. "You understand that I can't possibly allow you to live, don't you?"

Tifa pried Marlene's arms off of her and whispered "Hide!" into her ear before giving her a gentle shove. Straigtening up, she watched Marlene out of the corner of her eye until she could no longer see her, and glared at Loz, who dwarfed her by height and size.

"Hmm." he said idly. "I guess you want to die first then?"

He took a step forward but Tifa didn't give him a chance to make the first move. She pulled a flurry of punches into his gut, her body falling easily into the familiar stances. Tifa didn't pause, didn't give him a chance to block or retaliate, but with each hit she grew frusterated with his lack of response or retaliation. Taking a gamble, she spun around and aimed a kick at his face, hoping to render him unconscious, giving her a chance to escape with Marlene.

Loz reacted with lightening speed reflexes. As he grabbed her leg, and spun her around, Tifa realized he had been waiting for her to take such a gamble. With breath-taking strenth, he hurled her towards the wall. Time slowed for Tifa as she hurtled with unbelievable speed towards what would most likely be a bone-shattering collison.

But Tifa heard Marlene cry out her name, and with fierce determinism, twisted her body around so she could catch her feet on loose boards in the wall. Crouched akwardly high on the wall, she lowered her gaze to re-evaluate Loz. None of her blows seemed to have hindered him in any way. And that _strength_...He had thrown her at least forty feet with one arm. _I'm not going to win this fight..._Tifa thought resignedly, but without fear. _I have to keep him busy until Cloud comes. Together, we could beat him. _Loz smirked up at her. Pushing all thoughts out of her mind but the fight, Tifa jumped from the wall and landed gracefully, if a bit painfully, on the flowers. Petals flew around her.

"Giving up?" Loz asked mockingly.

Tifa didn't answer. Focusing all her strength into her fist, she hit him as hard as she could. He slammed into the wall, cement chipped off where he hit. He stood, but Tifa was already coming at him, gaining speed and momentum as she went. Loz backed away quickly but Tifa came up behind him, ricocheting off the walls. She kicked him in the chest and knocked him to the ground. Moving quickly, she smashed her hand against his face, causing his head to grind against the floor as they slid across it. Loz pushed up, but Tifa quickly flipped off him, landing a few feet over and coming to a stop.

The laugher was now gone from Loz's face, replaced with anger.

"You've fought before have you?" he asked coldly.

Tifa pushed her bangs back. "Yes I have."

Feeling slightly weakened from her furious attack, and trying to buy time, Tifa backed up into the flowers. Loz sauntered after her, attaching something metallic onto his fist.

"What's that?" Tifa asked, eyes narrowed.

"I call it Dual Hound." Loz said, his angry gaze never leaving her. "You must be Tifa Lockhart, the martial artist that fought alongside Cloud Strife two years ago."

He laughed humorlessly at the quickly concealed surprise in Tifa's face.

"Oh yes...I know who you are. And I must say...I don't like liars."

Loz stretched his arm towards her, and she quickly took note of the device on his fist. It was metallic and had two spikes jutting forward. Blue energy sizzled and cracked between the spikes.

Before she could do anything, a stream of blue energy was hurtling towards her. It hit directly in her midriff, and she only had a moment to cry out in surprise before agonizing pain overcame her. The pain was alien and strange, nothing like the pain of Sephiroth's sword seven years ago. It felt as though the energy had hit ever inch of her body, not just her midriff. And it wasn't stopping.

After what seemed like ages, the pain ended. She couldn't remember falling down, but she was face down in the flowers. Tifa tried to stand, but she realized with horror that she was unable to move her legs. Using her arms, which seemed to hurt the least out of all her body, she lifted her upper half, panting and wincing from the lingering pain.

But the pain was nothing compared to the horror she saw when she lifted her eyes. Little Marlene was backing away, terrified, from the advancing Loz. She was trying hard to be brave like Tifa, but she couldn't help calling out.

"Cloud!" Marlene whimpered, waiting for him to come and save her and Tifa.

Feeling the first stabs of terror, Tifa used the last of her strength to call out to Marlene, "Run!"

But it was too late. Smiling, Loz grabbed a hold of Marlene and looked down at the defeated Tifa. Almost lovingly, he adjusted the Dual Hound on his fist, and once again, pointed it at Tifa. All Tifa was aware of before her world once again became blinding pain, was Marlene screams, and the bitter taste of defeat. Everything turned dark as the pain overtook her, and she slipped into blackness.


	5. Chapter 5

It was early in the evening when Cloud got back to the church. The slanting angle of the sun cast shadows all around him as his motorcycle sputtered to a stop. He put an exhausted hand to his forehead and let the motorcycle fall to it's side. _I'm ready for this day to be over..._he thought as he approached the entranceway. Yawning, he walked through the doorless entrance but paused for a second once inside.

_Something happened here..._he thought narrow his eyes. Immediately, he forgot about his exhaustion as all his senses were put on high alert, trying to decipher what was different about the church. He quickly took note of the broken cement at his feet and the slanting footprints in the dust in the corner. Feeling a pang of foreboding, he lifted his eyes from the ground to look over the rest of the church. There was something in the flowers...He took a step forward.

He saw the raven hair, and knew instantly what it was.

"Tifa?" he said loudly, unbelievingly.

The figure didn't move. And he knew something was horribly wrong.

"Tifa!" he shouted, now runninng towards her. "Tifa!"

He stopped inches from her body. Panic rising in his chest, he slipped a hand behind her shoulders and another around her waist, trying to pull her to her feet. She sagged in arms like a doll.

"Tifa?" he asked quietly. "Come on..."

Cloud sank to the ground, still supporting her upper half in his arms. He whipped his head left and right, searching for an explanation. The damage in the church pointed to a fight. He worked hard to control the fear in his mind. Tifa laid immoble in his arms. Cloud stopped his examination of the church, and looked down at her, panic evident in his face.

"Tifa..." he breathed, incapable of making a louder sound.

_Come on Tifa..._his mind screamed. _Please don't do this to me...make a movement, make a sound...show me you're still here..._A moment away from losing control, Cloud pulled her closer to him, shaking her gently and willing her to wake up.

His heart leapt when her eyelashes fluttered slightly. He caught a glisp of her chocolate eyes before they shut again and Tifa let out a low moan that twisted his insides.

"Tifa?" he asked, heart pounding.

Her pretty face contorted. Fear stabbing at his heart again, Cloud looked her over for any sign of injury. He couldn't see anything that would be causing her such intense pain.

"Cloud?" she whispered weakly.

His eyes focused quickly back on her face.

"You're...late." Her head flopped to his chest as she lost consciousness once more.

Cloud stared at her face for several long moments, pain and guilt bubbling in his chest. Slowly and carefully, he lifted her broken body off the ground. The movement caused her to let out a whimper, and Cloud stopped cold. He waited until her face was peaceful again. Moving slowly as to not disturb her, he carried Tifa out of the church, desperately trying not to think about the last time he carried someone this way.

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Tifa was fighting against the darkness. It was prefferable to the pain...but there was something important she had to do. What was it? _Marlene..._she thought blearily. _That man...he has her. _Feeling as though she were lifting an enormous weight, she wrenched her eyes open. She shut them quickly. The light was painful. Tentatively, she opened her eyes again. She was surprised to find herself in her own bed.

Her entire body aching, she lifted herself into a sitting position. The blankets fell off her shoulders. It took her a minute to come to her senses, but finally she noticed Cloud sitting next to the bed, watching her.

"Cloud..." she said, her words heavy with emotion. "Marlene..."

Cloud's face expertly hid his fear, but Tifa saw it anyways.

"Marlene is gone..." Cloud said slowly. "Denzel is too."

"No..." Tifa whispered.

"Reno and Rude are looking for them. Apparently they weren't the only children taken."

Tifa swung her legs over the edge of the bed, absorbing this information with growing horror. But she looked up at Cloud, whose eyes were aimed at the floor, and in an instant remembered everything.

"You have Geostigma, don't you, Cloud..." she said quietly.

Cloud didn't meet her eyes. "There's no cure for it."

At these words, Tifa was rendered speechless for a moment by the grief, fear, and frusteration that gripped her.

"'It's okay to die'...Do you believe that?" Tifa asked, her voice small.

Cloud didn't answer.

Tifa leaned forward, her words heavy with emotion. "Denzel's fighting it! So why not you too? I'm here for you...everyone's here for you! So why...why..."

She broke off, unable to continue. Cloud ducked his head lower and Tifa noticed him gripping his arm tightly.

"I don't..." Cloud began, his voice filled with guilt. "I don't feel as though I can save anyone...not my family...not my friends...no one..."

Tifa started to reach out towards him but stopped as she heard a voice from the doorway.

"Stop dragging this out...geez." Reno said shaking his head.

Rude scratched his head, embarassed.

Cloud stood and began walking towards them.

"Did you find them?" Tifa's voice was tense and worried.

Reno nodded. "Yea we found them."

"Where are they?" Cloud asked stonily.

"At the Forgotten City." Rude answered him likewise.

Cloud made to walk out of the room but Tifa stopped him.

"Cloud...I understand." she said, her words coming out quickly. "Even if we find the children, we may not be able to do anything...we might not even be able to get them back. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it?"

He slowly turned around at these words. Tifa lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Were we defeated by our memories?" she asked softly.

Trying to not to think of Sephiroth, and these new men who resembled him, Cloud broke away from her gaze. Feeling empty of anything but pain and guilt, he followed Reno and Rude out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Deep in the woods, just outside the Forgotten City, there was a rather peculiar gathering. Three silver haired men stood in the middle of a circle. Upon closer observation, it could be noted that the circle consisted of somewhat ragged children, all of them blank-eyed, their attention focused on one of the silver-haired men. The man they were focusing on was Kadaj, the man that Rufus Shinra had warned Cloud about not so long ago. His silver hair was shoulder-length and his face was illuminate with passion and insanity. The man to his right was Yazoo. His hair was longer but his face lacked the passion of Kadaj's; Yazoo's face was aloof and disinterested. The other man Loz, was smiling rouguishly, and a bit stupidly. He had a tight grip on a child, the only child that showed any traces of fear. The little girl he was restraining struggled against his hands, but the man ignored her.

Hidden expertly in the trees, an univited man paid close attention to the strange scene taking place below him. A strand of dark hair blocked his path of vision for a moment, but he unceremoniously tucked it in his headband and narrowed his blood-red eyes. The man who the children were staring at raptly began talking, and he leaned closer, eavesdropping on his speech.

"Mother has given me special powers..." Kadaj told the children, his voice teetering on the edge of insanity. "The planet is trying to stop us, however. But as long as we have mother on our side, we have enough power to stop the planet."

_Mother?_ Vincent thought, a crease appearing in his brow.

Kadaj's arm swung around, his finger pointing at his audience of children.

"The planet created Geostigma, the planet is hurting your bodies and breaking your minds." Kadaj's voice dropped slightly in volume. "But I will cure you."

Kadaj paused for a moment, and when he began talking again, his voice was loud and filled with insane passion.

"That's why I need you to fight with us and mother, all together as a family, and bring this planet down to its goddamn knees!"

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Cloud's hands shook slightly from where he was tightly gripping his handlebars as the scenery around him grew eerily dark and familiar. The trees were beginning to posess a silver-like glow and he knew he was gettin closer by the second. _Two years..._he thought numbly. _I've avoided this place for two years. _Guilt clenched his insides. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes as the sight of the surrounding trees brought back unbearable memories.

_"I'll come back when it's all over."_

The voice resonated in his mind over and over, reminding him of one of his many failures. But as he opened his eyes, he stumbled in confusion when he found himself standing in a room of white, his motorcycle Fenrir nowhere in sight. But as he straightened and looked around, painful guilt filled his face and replaced the confusion. As soon as he saw the flowers under his feet, he knew what this was about. And true to his suspicion, he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"So you came." the familiar voice said, sounding just as cheerful as the day they met. "Even though you're about to break."

And he felt a gentle touch on his arm, the one that was infected with Geostigma. But he found himself unable to turn around.

"So...why did you come?" Aeris asked, gently prompting him.

Cloud considered her question for a minute.

"Forgiveness...I think." he said, his voice quiet.

He paused for a minute.

"That's right..." he said, this time his voice was strong. "I want to be forgiven."

Aeris giggled, a sound that never quite left his memory.

"By who?" she asked, clearly amused.

At this question, Cloud turned around, but again was surprised. It took him a moment to realize that he was again seated on Fenrir, gripping the handlebars tightly and speeding through the woods. A bullet whizzed by his ear and shook him out of his stupor. About a hundred yard in front of him were three silver-haired men, two of which he recognized from theattack on motorcycles. _The one in the middle must be Kadaj..._he thought, pulling out his sword and preparing to attack.

But Kadaj grinned at him, and let out a shrill whistle. Children appeared from all sides, creating a barrier between Cloud and the three men. _What are they doing?_ Cloud thought bewilderedly. But then, as Cloud came closer, and closer, he recognized two of the children. Denzel stood in front of all the other children, his head bowed. Next to him, Marlene was tugging desperately at his arm, tears leaving wet trails down her cheeks. But no matter how hard Marlene tugged, Denzel remained unresponsive.

Suddenly, horror shot through Cloud, as he realized the children were not moving, and he was seconds away from hitting them. He turned his bike quickly, trying to skid to a stop. But he didn't have enough room to stop, and instead he flew off. With a loud thump, Cloud hit the ground. He rolled several feet uncontrollably, before coming to a stop. His sword embedded itself in a tree several feet away.

Pain racking every part of him, Cloud tried to lift himself up but to no avail. Using his arms, he hoisted his upper half up enough to see his surroundings. The children were now in a semi-circle around him and the three men stood directly in front of him. Cloud searched for Marlene and Denzel, but they were with the other children.

"So, you decided to join us!" Kadaj said, his voice filled with insanity and glee.

Cloud cut him off. "I'm here to get the kids."

Kadaj gave an insane laugh.

"This man," he said to the children. "Is our big brother!"

He pulled out his sword. Cloud was able to see that it had two blades, one normal, the other strangely shadow-like.

"It's too bad he's a traitor." Kadaj pressed the sword against Cloud's throat.

Before Cloud could do anything in retaliation, a bullet came from the trees and hit the blade that was pressed against his neck. Without hurting Cloud, the sword was deflected away. Scowling, Kadaj searched the treelines, his glee replaced with fury.

"Yazoo!" Kadaj said, motioning to the aloof man with the long hair.

The man who Cloud assumed must be Yazoo, sprung into action, and pointed his gun at the treeline. A red cloak appeared, and Yazoo fired at it, but his bullets hit nothing. Kadaj was screaming angrily, and the other bulkier man was looking around desperately trying to locate the red cloak. But before they could do anything, Cloud saw the red cloak descend on him, and felt one hand and one claw close on his arm. By the time the three men turned around, both Cloud and Vincent were gone.

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Cloud and Vincent sat in silence, surrouned the glowing trees. Vincent stood with his arms crossed, watching Cloud on the ground. Cloud sat, head hanging, gripping his arm, obviously still recovering from his tumble off the motorcycle.

"You saved my ass back there." Cloud mumbled. "I guess I was right, I am no good to anyone."

Vincent didn't say anything. Cloud looked up at him.

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked him.

Vincent's eyes locked on the arm that Cloud was grasping.

"Geostigma is what happens when your body overworks itself trying to purge wicked substances from within." Vincent told Cloud.

Cloud's eyes narrowed in understanding.

"Wicked substances..." he repeated lowly.

"There's something like the lifestream that flows through our bodies," Vincent continued. "And that's what's fighting the wicked substances. The Calamity from the Skies...Jenova. As long as it remains, another Sephiroth can be created."

Cloud took a second to absorb those words. _Another Sephiroth_...he thought, trying to appreciate the full meaning of these words. Cloud recalled his hateful face staring at him through the flames of his hometown. But before he could continue down this line of thought, a rustling noise in the woods caused him to snap his head up.

Vincent pulled out his gun, and Cloud painfully got to his feet, reaching for the sword that Vincent had retreived for him. But as the noise got closer, Cloud recognized the little face that appeared through the gap in the trees.

"Marlene!" Cloud shouted, throwing his sword down in relief.

Marlene sprung on him, wrapping her arms around his midriff and burrying her face in his shirt.

"Cloud!" she sobbed. "Denzel's...Tifa's..."

Cloud placed one hand on her little shoulder and turned to Vincent.

"Take Marlene home." he said to Vincent. "I'll go see what I can squeeze out of Shinra."

Vincent backed away, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." he said, fixing Cloud with a narrowed gaze.

Marlene pushed away from Cloud angrily. She balled her hands into little fists and stomped her foot, reminding Cloud of Tifa when he wouldn't let her into the reactor so many years ago.

"That's enough Cloud!" she shouted. "Don't you even care about us? What about us, our problems?"

Not waiting to see his reaction, Marlene ran to Vincent and hid herself under his cloak.

"Marlene..." Cloud said softly, the truth in her words hurting him. "A huge fight is about to start. You know what that means right? This is serious...we can't take it lightly."

Marlene refused to turn and look at him. "No I don't know what that means!"

Vincent looked down at the little girl and then to Cloud.

"Cloud..." Vincent said quietly. "Are you sure all this is about the fighting?"

Cloud turned away from Vincent and Marlene. Tifa's voice resonated through his mind...telling him to stop running. He turned back around.

"Vincent?" Cloud asked. "Can a person be forgiven for their sins?"

Vincent tilted his head. "I've never tried."

_'I've never tried'..._Cloud thought, a new bubble of hope forming in his chest.

"I think I'm going to try." Cloud said, his voice lacking the guilt that had plagued it just seconds earlier. "I'll inform you of the results."

Cloud extended his hand toward Marlene who had emerged from under Vincent's cloak.

"Come on Marlene." Cloud said. "Let's go home."

Smiling and wiping away the last of her tears, Marlene ran forward and grabbed his hand. When the two left the forest together, the glowing trees suddenly seemed less eerie to Cloud as he let go of all the painful memories he associated with this place.


End file.
